Mammoth men arrested in Santa Barbara sex case
By Lunch/Kirkner
On Wednesday, Jan. 4 members of the Santa Barbara Police Department with the assistance of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department arrested Mammoth residents, Dr. Andrew C. Bourne, 46, and Joseph T. Walker, 48 in Mammoth Lakes.
According to a news statement from the Santa Barbara Police Department, the agency “sought the assistance of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department following a lengthy investigation into crimes that occurred in both Santa Barbara and Mammoth Lakes.
Joe Walker
“Walker was arrested and booked for 6 counts of 288.3 PC, illegal communication with a minor to facilitate sexual activity and 1 count of 288 (c)(1) PC, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Bourne was arrested and booked for 8 counts of 288.3 PC, illegal communication with a minor to facilitate sexual activity.”
Both Bourne and Walker were booked at Mono County Jail and their bail was set at $1 million each. Bourne and Walker waived extradition and were in the process of being transported to Santa Barbara to be booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on Thursday.
The investigation began in September 2011 when suspicious emails sent to a teenage female were discovered by a parent and reported to the police, according to the statement.
The girl is believed to be under 16, according to www.keyt.com, a news source out of Santa Barbara.
A Mammoth source indicated that Bourne and Walker both knew the girl’s family.
The investigation led to the recovery of more than 1,000 emails, which were used to obtain the arrest and search warrants in this case.
The Sheet spoke with Ron S. Bamieh of the Law Offices of Bamieh and Erickson, PLC based in Ventura, Calif. on Thursday. Bamieh confirmed that he would be representing Bourne, “as soon as he arrives in Santa Barbara.”
“He was supposed to be in Santa Barbara by 1:30 today, but as of now [10:30 a.m.] my information is that he hasn’t left up there [Mono County] yet,” Bamieh said.
Bamieh did not know who was representing Walker.
Mammoth Lakes Police Chief, Dan Watson had confirmed earlier in the day in a press statement that the MLPD had assisted the Santa Barbara Police Department in an ongoing investigation with ties to Mammoth Lakes.
“Because the investigation is not complete, and at the request of the Santa Barbara Police Department and Mono County District Attorney George Booth, I cannot comment any further at this time,” Watson wrote.
Dr. Andrew Bourne
Dr. Bourne is board certified in Surgery and Vascular Surgery by the American Board of Surgery. He has served as Vice Chief of Staff at Mammoth Hospital from 2008-2010 and is the current Chief of Staff from 2010-2012. He has served on the Mammoth Unified School District Board since 2008.
Walker, the son of former, longtime Whiskey Creek owner Sam Walker, moved to Mammoth as a child and started the Looney Bean in 1992 with his brother, Chris. The two, however, sold the business approximately five years later.
Both men are married with children.
Unlawful sex between a person over 21 and a person under 16 may be a felony and can result in a two- to four-year sentence in state prison.
